Blue Blooded
by girlovesmoosey
Summary: After the death of his uncle, Kenny's family inherits a large amount of money...and two new family members. However, like everyone, said family members carry their own secrets. Could all of these new changes prove to be too much for everyone?
1. The Rich Kids

The air was stale and cold. The smell of whiskey and cigarettes filled the air, and the dander of rats was all too unfamiliar. Boxes were sprawled about the dilapidated room, small and large. The walls were covered in mold and termite holes.  
"Well, come on in. Y'all don't wanna catch a cold," Carol smiled. The two exchanged looks before entering the house and closing the creaky door. Carol's clothes were slightly nicer than usual. She wore a black dress and a silver necklace. "Why don't you two go find your cousins. We're going to finish packing."  
Slowly, the duo set down their things and walked to the first room, opening it to find Kenny reading a Playboy magazine. He looked up at them and put it down beside him. The two children staring back at him were both about nine. The girl had on a white hat with poof balls hanging on the sides, white laced gloves, a red and white dress, a golden necklace, and brown boots. Her brother had on a blue coat lined with fur, a silver chain, jeans, and red sneakers. Both had blonde, curly hair.  
"Hey," Kenny said simply. "Sorry about your..."  
"It's fine," the boy replied, looking at his sister. He had his arm around hers and didn't plan on letting go anytime soon. "We're fine. D-don't worry about us."  
His twin sister nodded with a smile.  
"Everything is A-OK!" she replied. "I'm Brooke, and this is Blake. I'm sure you remember us, don't you?"  
"Y-yeah. I saw you last weekend. You sang at the funeral."  
"It's so cool that we get to live together. Your parents seem pretty happy, too. I'm glad. Everything's great. Wow-wee. I bet I'm going to love my new school. Also, we put Patches outside if that's alright. Hey, I bet life's going to be like one big sleepover, huh? How's Kevin doing? Is Karen alright? Oh, dude, I am just-"  
"Um...are you...alright?" Kenny tilted his head. He didn't see his cousins much, but he knew Brooke was never this happy. Actually, he didn't recall her ever speaking much.  
"This...uh...," Blake sighed, beginning to whisper into Kenny's ear. "This is how she deals with things. She suppresses them. She did the same thing when our cat ran away."  
"Oh. Alright," Kenny nodded.  
"You are going to love being rich, Kenny," Brooke grinned, playing with her long braided hair. "I heard you guys already found a new house and everything!"  
"Yeah."

"Is something wrong, Ken? Nothing should be wrong? Everything's great, right?"  
"I'm just...kind of upset. I mean, inheriting so much money is cool but..."  
"Cheer up, buddy! There's so much in life to be happy about. Hey, I bet we'll be the best of friends! Dude, I love it in this little mountain town. Back in Beverly Hills, we never got any snow or anything!"  
"Come on, guys, it's time to go. Everything's in the car," Stuart announced through the hallway. The kids all sat in the brand new white minivan and glanced back at the old house for the last time.  
"Wow, you guys are way too cool," Brooke giggled, petting her Maltese, Patches. "Hey, Karen, do you mind if I do your makeup later? Or we can make Easy Bake cupcakes. Or we can talk about boys! It'll be just like we're sisters!"  
"Uh..." she looked up. "Yeah."  
"Hey, Kenny, we should play video games together. Just me and you, okay? Or we can all go to the mall. What's the mall out here like?"  
The car stopped abruptly and the doors opened one by one. Before them was a big peach-colored house. It was two stories tall and sported a beautiful lawn and garden. One by one, they grabbed boxes and brought them into the house. The interior was the most perfect thing The McCormicks had laid eyes on. They weren't used to such luxury. The wood floors didn't creak, there were no rats, and the ceiling was more than twice the height of the old one.  
"Woah..." the kids looked around.  
"It's kind of small," Blake whispered to his sister. She nodded in agreement, setting Patches down.  
As Stuart and Carol unpacked, the children looked through the various rooms. Blake held his sister's arm tightly and stood slightly in front of her.  
"This is so cool! I still can't believe I'm here!" Brooke cried, hugging Kenny. She twirled in a circle upon letting go and sighed happily. "Guys, have you ever been so happy? I know I sure haven't. It's so pretty here! Guys, we can make blanket forts and have parties and all that good stuff! Oh my god, I love you guys!"  
The house had very little furniture. Each room had at least one bed and there was a new couch in the living room. There was an uninstalled television near it and a coffee table.  
"Why don't y'all get settled," Carol was in a much happier mood than usual. "We'll order some pizza."  
The children all went upstairs to check out their new rooms.  
"Hey, look!" Brooke opened a window and leaned out of it. "We're so high up!"  
Blake pulled her away.  
"Hey, you know you're not allowed that close to two story windows," he snarled. She groaned in reply and climbed up to the top of the bunk bed.  
"Since you and I are sharing a room, I have dibs on top bunk," she chuckled. Blake only sighed.  
"Whatever," he replied. "J-just be careful up there, alright?"  
"Blake, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."  
"How can I not worry about you when-"  
"Hey, there's never a reason to worry. Whenever you get those mean old feelings, just turn it off and don't feel it!"  
"Concealing your feelings never makes things better, Brooke. You can pretend things are fine all you want, but Dad's not coming back! Sure, we have our money, but I know deep down, you're f*cking broken. You know I love you. You're my sister. But...I can't help but hate you."  
"Blake...," her smile didn't disappear. "That's silly! Why be sad when you can be happy?"  
"Because you're all I have left, alright! I would have left years ago if I didn't have to protect your stupid ass! Life's not worth living if you're stuck with...with someone like you."  
"W-what's wrong with me, huh?" she questioned, her grin still remaining.  
"Forget I said anything," he left the room. Brooke scoffed.  
"Oh, Boys..."


	2. Wood Carving

Kenny tried not to make eye contact as he stood beside his friends at the bus stop. His cousins stood next to him, Blake on his phone and Brooke playing with her hair.  
"So...Kenny...you're rich now," Stan said. "Congratulations."  
"Hi, I'm Brooke!" she spat before anyone could say another word. Blake turned around, embarrassed.  
"So I take it these are your prissy rich ass cousins," Cartman scoffed. "Don't think you're better than me 'cause you're rich now, Kenny. I'll still kick your ass."  
"Yeah, I'd have to agree with Cartman," Kyle shrugged. "I mean, if you forget us and leave, there will only be three of us. And that's gay."  
"Friendship is so cool! Can I be your friend too! It can be a group of five, right? You'll hardly know I'm-"  
"No, girls can't hang out with us," Eric interrupted.  
"I'll give you my allowance!" she pulled a few hundred dollar bills from her backpack. "C-can we be friends now? I'll be real nice."  
"I...I like this kid," Cartman said, pocketing the money. She giggled and stood in between them.  
"Friends are so cool! We'll be friends forever, okay?"  
"I don't know if we should let her-"

"Kyle, don't be rude! She just wants some friends. Being the new kid is hard, alright?" Cartman snapped.  
"Wow, you're such a nice person," Brooke beamed.  
"Yeah, I know. I guess it kind of comes naturally."  
"Don't listen to him," Stan scoffed.  
"Yeah," Kyle agreed. "This one time, he didn't like this kid so he ground his parents up into chili and fed it to him."  
Brooke smiled.

"Some of us are just misunderstood."

* * *

By lunch time, Brooke had more friends than she could imagine. She never had this many back at home. People constantly followed her, asking her for money. Of course, to her, it wasn't about the money. She had friends and that was all that mattered, right?  
"Brooke," Blake squeezed between a crowd of people to sit next to her. "Don't you think people are starting to take advantage of you?"  
"No, they're friends. I'm sharing what I have because we're friends."  
"Brooke, no, you can't buy friendship."

"Look, could you not do this? I've never had a friend in my life, and all of a sudden, everyone loves me. It's like...being a mary sue in a story!"  
"Hey, I lost my fifty dollars, can I have another?"  
"Of course, friend!"  
She handed a handful of cash to one student after the other.  
"I bet you can't name half of them."  
Brooke thought for awhile.  
"There's uh...my friends are...um...Clyde, Cartman, Bebe, Red, Jimmy, um...that one kid with the poof ball hat, Heidi...and...," she paused. "You know what, everyone's my friend!"  
"No, see, those are all people who accepted your money."  
"What kind of friend wouldn't bear gifts?"  
"Maybe give your friends something heartfelt. Then they'll like you for who you are. It might sound gay, but it's true."  
"I think I understand!" she jumped up and left her seat.  
"W-where are you going?"  
"I'll catch up with you later, alright?" Brooke ran out of the cafeteria with a strong sense of urgency.  
It took a few moments before Blake finally gave up. He stood and straightened his blonde hair before heading down the halls.  
"Where the hell did she go?" he huffed, making sure every button on his shirt was in place. He twiddled his thumbs. His voice turned to a mumble. "I hope she's not doing anything dangerous."  
He looked through the windows of every classroom but had no luck finding her.  
"What are you lookin' for?"  
Blake jumped to hear this unfamiliar voice. He turned to see a kid with pale blonde hair and a blue shirt.  
"M-my sister," he responded. "Who are you?"  
The boy gave a friendly smile.  
"I'm Butters. A lot of kids have been talking about you guys."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Like how you're good-for-nothing rich prissy pieces of sh*t. N-not that I think that. H-hey, we should be friends. I can show you around!"  
"Well, I'm looking for my sister. Maybe another time, Kid."  
"W-well I can help you. My parents told me that I always have to be extra nice to the new kids...o-or else I'll get grounded," he looked down and kicked his feet. Blake sighed.  
"Alright, fine," he continued to walk, slightly ahead of Butters. He still looked through every window.  
Finally, he reached the second to last room down the hall. The sign simply read "Room 37B Woodshop". Blake opened the door, and Brooke sat alone at a table, carving a block of wood. Her hands were bandaged and her arms shook, yet her carving seemed so precise.  
"Brooke, there you are!"  
"Shh...I'm working..."  
"I guess the adderall kicked in," Blake scoffed. Brooke looked up and blinked.  
"Who's this? A friend?"  
"I'm Butters! What's your name?"  
She blushed.  
"I'm Brooke!" she took a fifty dollar bill from her pocket and held it out. "Here! Let's be friends!"  
"I-I don't need your money. Being friends is good enough," he responded. Brooke cocked her head.  
"You...don't want my money?"  
"Nope!"  
"Okay," she shrugged, continuing to stroke her carving knife against the wooden figure. She was almost finished. "Say, Butters, what's your favorite animal?"  
"Um..." he thought for awhile. "I-I like bunnies. They're cuddly."  
"Okay-" she stopped suddenly as fresh blood dripped from her hand. "O-ow!"  
"Hey," Blake took the carving knife from her. "That's enough of that. I don't want you getting hurt, Brooke."  
"No, I'll be careful!"  
"Brooke!" he said sternly. "You know you shouldn't be handling knives anyway!"  
"I'm not a little kid anymore! I'll be more careful!"  
He took her arm and began to unravel her bandages, causing him to cringe. Her hands and arms were covered in a plethora of fresh cuts.  
"Look, I know making friends is important to you but you don't have to-"  
"No! I have to do this!" she raised her voice, taking the knife back. "If I don't, I won't make friends! You said I shouldn't give away money anymore, so I'm going to do this! The only thing I'm really good at is wood carving. And it's not as dangerous as you think, Blake. I know you're worried but just...you need to understand."  
She turned to her work and began carving again. She smiled and began to hum to herself.  
"You know what? Fine," Blake sighed. "Come on, Butters."  
Brooke paid no attention as the two left the room. She only smiled and resumed her carving.

**Hey, guys!  
****Thanks for the reviews!  
****I love you guys so much. :D**


	3. Mister Kitty

"Turn to page 36 and do problems one through seventeen," Mister Garrison said in his usual tone. Instead of working, Brooke continued to carve the figurine. She could hear people mumbling about her, but she couldn't care less.  
Blake seemed distracted, himself. He kept turning around and couldn't bring himself to do his work. Something was bothering him. He was quite uncomfortable and his cheeks slowly began to turn red.  
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the bell rang. Kids rushed out from left and right. Once outside, Brooke clutched her now halfway complete wooden figurine to her chest. She caught up to Blake and Kenny, who walked alongside each other without saying a word.  
"Hey, I have a joke for you guys," Brooke smiled as usual, fluffing the ruffles of her dress.  
"C-can it wait?" Blake seemed to be in deep thought. He looked as if he was about to cry, and he began to mutter to himself.  
"It's really short! Come on, Blake, it'll cheer you up."  
"...ugh..."  
"Okay, so there's this nurse, right?" she began. "And she goes to the doctor and says 'Doctor, we have a patient here with a condition that makes him turn invisible.' So, the doctor replies...'Well, tell him I can't see him.'...Get it? Kenny?"  
"Yeah, I get it," Kenny replied with a sigh.  
"Hey...what's with you two? You're not still sad are you? You'd better tell that sadness it isn't welcome!"  
She tackled Blake with a hug, and he immediately pushed her away.  
"Look, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but I'm not so much sad as I am...confused."  
"Confused?" Brooke took his hand in hers. "About what, bro?"  
"Could we not talk about this right now?" he sighed as they approached their tall new house and walked inside. Everyone went to their rooms. Brooke climbed to her bed and continued to carve her figurine. She hummed to herself with a smile on her face.  
"Blake, it's a beautiful day," she peeked down at him as he sat on his bed. "Get some sunlight. You'll feel better."  
"Not now...I'm thinking..."  
"Just think. My first day, and I already have a crush," Brooke beamed.  
"Y-you do?" he looked up. She got out of her bed and climbed down into his.  
"Mm-hmm," she nodded. She looked down and blushed.  
"Oh, well you see..." he sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I kind of do too. But...you...you wouldn't really..."  
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," she grinned. "It...it's not me, is it? That'd be weird."  
"No!" he said, almost chuckling. "It's just...it's someone that'll probably never know I exist."  
"C-can I guess?" she grinned. "Okay...is it...Wendy? No? Bebe? Red? Heidi? Nicole?"  
"No," he replied, a bit frustrated. "Just forget it."  
"I'll tell you mine," she went to his ear and began to whisper. "It's Butters."  
"R-really?"  
She nodded.  
"Now tell me your crush! Please!" she begged. Blake took a deep breath.  
"It's Kyle."  
"But...Kyle's..."  
"I know. Kyle's a boy. That's why I'm so...upset."  
"Aw, buddy," she patted him on the back. "don't be upset. I'm sure Kyle would like you back if you talked to him. W-why don't we go over to his house and-"  
"NO!" he cried. "He doesn't even know I exist. I can't just show up like that! Besides, you should stay home. It's safer."  
"Could you just quit worrying about my safety for one minute?" she groaned. "Look, all we have to do is go over for dinner or something. That can't be too hard. It'll be fun! I'll be there, too!"  
"Okay, fine," he gave in. "I'm going to get ready. Go get the bikes from the garage, okay?"  
Brooke happily skipped through the hallway, nearly tripping over the steps as she went downstairs. Her aunt and uncle were nowhere to be seen, but she didn't think much of it. She was just glad to help her brother. Maybe if she did, he would think better of her.  
She grabbed the two new blue bikes from the garage and could hardly contain her excitement. Her big brother was finally in love, and she was always willing to lend him a helping hand.  
Within the next few minutes, Blake rushed down into the garage. He was wearing a white polo shirt and khaki pants. His hair was swept neatly to the side, and she could swear he was smiling a little.  
They hopped onto their bikes and headed down the street. Kyle lived pretty close to the bus stop, so it was an easy place to remember.  
Out of nowhere, something caused Brooke to flip off of her bike. Blake gasped and helped her up.  
"I-I'm okay. It's just a scratch," she said. "What did I hit?"  
Suddenly, a loud voice came from the nearest home.  
"MISTER KITTY!"  
Cartman bolted out of his front door and picked up his unconscious cat from the sidewalk.  
"O-oh my god!" Brooke cried. "I am so sorry! Is he okay?"  
"Wake up, Mister Kitty. Don't die! That's a bad kitty!"  
"I'm so sorry. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"  
Calmly, he set the gray cat down in the grass. He let out a sigh, and Brooke was sure he would forgive her. Suddenly, he punched her as hard as he could. She fell to the ground and didn't attempt to fight back as he began to beat her to a pulp.  
"Brooke!" Blake cried. He tried to pry Cartman off of her, but he continued to beat her up. "Get off of her, you assh*le!"  
"No! I have to avenge Mister Kitty!" he punched her until she lost consciousness. He looked over and his cat had stood up and seemed to be okay minus a few bruises. He lifted the cat and grinned."Mister Kitty!"  
"Dude, f*ck your stupid cat!" Blake growled. He lifted his sister over his shoulder, as if she was a wounded soldier. He carried her away, though he wanted to kill that boy with every fiber of his being. And he was sure Eric wanted to kill her.  
He carried her into the house and up the stairs. With a sigh, he tucked her into his bed and looked down.  
"It could have been worse," he said, as if she was awake. "It usually is."  
He was sick of protecting her, but he had to. He hated seeing her get hurt. And he knew it was mentally scarring. She may have seemed happy, but Blake knew damn well that she was far from it.


	4. Journal

**Okay, I've gotten a bunch (like 3, really) of complaints about my spacing. The thing is, I have a habit of pressing space when I press enter, so the lines end up close together. I can try not to, but it will be inconsistent because I forget. That's why I don't try anymore. But if it's that important, I will. On another note, I always take suggestions. Just a reminder. Enjoy chapter four, guys!**

"Just hold still. There's just one more," Blake peeled open a band-aid and stuck it on her cheek. "See, I told you we shouldn't have gone."

"But I just..."

"You always end up getting into trouble, Brooke. You could have gotten really hurt again."

"Blake," she groaned. "There's nothing you can do about it. You can't protect me forever."

"You're all I have left. Every time something happens to you, I just...I die a little inside. You always end up fine in the end but..."

She stood up and sighed.

"Well, I'm going to go see if Karen wants to bake cookies. If you want, you can join us."

With that, she left. Blake stood up and went into his drawer, taking out a journal with the name "Bella" on it. He opened it and began to read. He had read this so many times, he had it memorized. It was the most important thing he owned.

_October 1__st__, 2003_

_Dear Journal,_

_ Today, I discovered that Greg and I are having twins! What a surprise! I did a lot of laundry today. I also received a lovely basket of flowers from the Hansens this morning. Greg says I should take it easy, but it's hard to sit around when you have two living beings inside of you. Well, I have a pineapple upside down cake in the oven and I need to take Spot to the vet. _

_ Bella_

_ December 5__th__, 2003_

_Dear Journal,_

_ I felt the babies moving today. I told Greg, and he was sure it was only indigestion. I am now the proud new owner of a formerly stray cat, and I've named her Amber. She curls up next to me when my hormones get out of control. Also, the maid was late today so I didn't tip her. I felt so bad, I cried._

_ Bella_

_ March 12__th__, 2004_

_Dear Journal,_

_ The doctor says that my little girl isn't growing enough, but her brother is fine. I hope she'll be okay. To distract me, Greg bought me ice cream. He seems pretty down today, but it seems to be about something unrelated. He started with that whole "I keep dying and no one remembers" thing, but what does that even mean?_

_ Bella_

_ May 3__rd__, 2004_

_Dear Journal,_

_ The doctor called me and told me that I'm very sick. I don't really care, as long as the babies are growing. I've decided to name them Brooke and Blake. I found those names online and thought they were cute. Brooke is doing a little better, but I've had to stay in bed for the past few days. It's alright, though. I've been able to catch up on my stories and I've knitted a few blankets for the twins. Greg's been stressing again. More than me, even. He keeps saying our family's cursed. Maybe if his parents had stayed away from those damn cult meetings, he wouldn't be so messed up. He was raised in a poor family with his brother, Stuart, and his parents weren't very nice. Sometimes, I worry that he only married me because I'm wealthy. But it's not good to worry, so I'm not going to feel those feelings!_

_Bella_

"Are you reading Mom's journal again?" Brooke was holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies and standing alongside Karen.

"Y-yeah," he set it down with a sigh. "I was just thinking-"

"Is that why you hate me?" Brooke looked up. "Is it because of what happened to Mom and Dad?"

"No. It couldn't be helped."

"I know it's why you hit me sometimes," she shook her head and smiled again, making sure to conceal her sadness. "Would you like a cookie? We made them. Karen's a natural!"

"No thanks," he grumbled in reply. "Maybe later."

"Okay, whatever. D-do you need to talk?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"No...I don't know. It's just that sometimes...I wonder if I could have done something. At least for Dad. He suffered so much."

"Hey, chin up!" she turned to Karen. "Come on, let's give Kevin a makeover!"


	5. Guardian Angel?

"Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so..."

"Brooke," Blake glanced at his sister, who still was carving the same wooden figure that she had been making for several days now. "You've lost weight, haven't you?"

She looked up from her project.

"Why do you ask?"

"You look unhealthy. Why don't we go out to lunch? I usually wouldn't want you out, but it'll be my treat."

"Alright," she agreed. She stood up and set her carving down. They left the house, the sun beaming down on their faces. He held her hand tightly and walked cautiously. They went to the nearest restaurant: TGI Friday's.

The moment they sat down, Brooke fixed her eyes a few tables away. She grinned.

"What is it?" Blake questioned.

"Look!"

He turned his head, and there they were. Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman.

Blake felt blood rushing to his cheeks and looked away. His mind instantly became foggy, and his legs began to tingle.

Brooke stood up and began to walk to their table. Blake's eyes widened.

"Brooke, what are you doing?" he whispered, his voice shaking. She only smiled at him and went over to Kyle. Their words were inaudible, and Blake buried his face within his arms. His heart began to pound and he felt his eyes fill up with tears. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up and Kyle stood before him, a confused look on his face.

"You wanted to tell me something?" Kyle asked.

"W-well, I um..." Blake twiddled his thumbs. "It's just...I-I...uh, I think you're...you...uh..."

"Come on, Blake, tell him!" Brooke giggled. "It's alright, bro."

"I...I like you," he murmured.

"E-excuse me?" Kyle took a small step back.

"I like you! A lot..."

"You 'like' like me?"

"Y-yeah. I uh...wanted to know if you wanted to...go out sometime? Maybe...bowling or something?"

"No...thanks. I'm straight," he responded awkwardly. "But...maybe we can hang out sometime. As...friends. Nothing else."

"Oh...okay, yeah," Blake laughed nervously.

Kyle returned to his table. Upon talking to his friends, they roared with laughter. Blake looked down.

"Are you alright?"

He slapped Brooke hard across the face.

"What the hell was that for, huh, Brooke? You might as well just tell the entire world, huh? God, I swear, I hate you so much! Who does that?"

"I was just trying to-"

"I bend over backwards for you and you just...I mean, GOD! I do so much for you! How could you do this to me? For one minute, could you just...be normal?"

"There's no such thing, silly," she smiled, tilting her head.

"Wipe that god damn smile off your face! For once, just quit trying to help!"

"You're just mad that he doesn't like you back. You always take your anger out on me!"

He looked down shamefully.

"I just...I knew he wouldn't like me back, and I wasn't going to ask him out because I'd make a fool of myself. Do you understand that now I'll be ridiculed? For as long as we live here, everyone will know me as 'that bisexual kid'."

"There's nothing wrong with liking boys. You can't choose who you like."

"I know, but people don't understand that. They never will."

"Yes, they will!" she banged her fists on the table and stood up. "I'll make them!"

She bolted out of her seat and through the door. Blake began to run after her.

"Where are you going?" he cried out. Brooke didn't respond, and soon, he gave up and lost her. Out of breath, he sighed. "Be careful, Brooke!"

He continued to walk down the block, hoping to find her. He had walked nearly a mile and finally, he reached the park. A small group of kids stood in a crowd and Brooke stood in the middle. Blake went over to her.

"What are you-"

She grabbed her brother's hand and raised it in the air.

"This is my brother! And he may like boys, but I still love him! You should too! He's so smart and special!"

"Brooke, shut up," he said under his breath.

The crowd laughed in unison. Blake wouldn't have cared much, but he recognized most of these kids from school.

"I like boys, and he likes boys, so we can talk about boys together! It doesn't make him weird, and it doesn't make him better than anybody! So please treat him as you would treat anyone else!"

"Brooke, I will hit you so f*cking hard if you don't shut up!"

"I'm making things better, see?" The children continued to laugh, and Brooke still appeared happy. She wore the same smile as always. That stupid smile Blake hated.

"UGH!" he pushed through the crowd and quietly walked home, ignoring all of the slurs and obscenities the other children blurted out at him. He walked into the house, where his aunt and uncle drank expensive wine (and were drunk as hell), and stomped upstairs. He grabbed Brooke's desk lamp and threw it against the wall. He took her piggy bank, television, and Ipad, doing the same.

"Hey." Kenny entered his room. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I just need to be alone, Kenny," he growled. "If you don't want to get hurt, get out of here."

"Calm the hell down, dude! What the f*ck?"

"It's Brooke. I just...I try so hard protecting that ungrateful bitch, and she just...humiliates me at every opportunity!"

"It can't be that bad."

"She just told fifty people that I'm gay, Kenny. I hate her so much! I just...you know what, I don't care anymore. If she wants to get killed, I don't care anymore!"

"What makes you think she's going to die?"

"You...you wouldn't understand. You could never understand, Kenny."

"I can try," he shrugged.

With a sigh, Blake pulled a few papers from his drawer. He handed about three to Kenny.

"These are her death records. She was a stillborn, allegedly. But her birth certificate is right here," he showed him another. "She dies...all the time. All the f*cking time! I know you wouldn't understand. It's okay if you don't believe me. But the crazy thing is that only we remember. Maybe it's because we're twins. Whatever it is, it's driven me to do everything in my power to protect her from this mental torture! I've seen her die, Kenny. Cancer, a truck, gunshots, a train, rabies, hypothermia, electrocution, mutilation, everything. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not crazy, Kenny! My dad went through the same thing and..."

"What?" Kenny's eyes widened. Blake's voice began to break, but he took a deep breath.

"My dad...Every time he died, he came back. Until one day, he handed Brooke the gun and said that only she could take his pain away. He said if she didn't do it, he would kill her, so eventually...she did. He never came back, and I know she's traumatized. But ever since he died, she's just been so happy. They were close, Kenny. Really close. I never knew my mother...thanks to Brooke. She died giving birth to her. They said she would have lived, had I been the only child, but two was just too much. I guess that's why I hate Brooke. But...she's my sister, and I try to be a good big brother. I do. But you'd never understand, Kenny."

"I do," he said simply.

"No, no you don't."

"I die all the time, too."

"Don't try to make me feel better."

"No, really," Kenny insisted. "No one ever remembers. I just wake up in my bed like nothing happens. If I mention it, people call me crazy. I've had it all my life. It's a curse, and I hate it. I just-"

"Hey, guys!" Brooke sang, enthusiastically, entering the room. "Why is my stuff broken?"

"Get out of here, Brooke!" Blake growled. Brooke grinned.

"It's my room too, you know, silly! Hey, Kenny, let's go down to Stark's pond and skip rocks! Blake, let's make cupcakes! I bet Karen will wanna help, too! It'll be just like we're a family again."

"Brooke, we will NEVER be a family again. Do you understand me, you little sh*t? You're the reason we don't have parents! You're the reason my life is a living hell! If it wasn't for you, maybe I'd have friends! I'd have better things to do than keep you out of trouble, you good-for-nothing c*nt!"

"Blake," she chuckled. "You're yelling at me..."

"Of course I'm yelling at you, you prick! Once a month, most girls have periods, not funerals! Do you know what it's like, standing over your grave, only to see your stupid obnoxious smile the next day?"

"You're just overreacting," she laughed.

"You think this is funny, don't you? Blake's suffering, haha! What a f*cking joke, right? I wish dad would have killed you instead! I really do!" he shouted. She only smiled in reply. "Fine, you want to see funny? I'll be funny."

He grabbed her nearly finished wood carving and rushed downstairs. Brooke ran behind him.

"Blake! No!"

He tossed it nonchalantly into the fireplace and watched as it became engulfed in flames. She only grinned, but her eyes filled with tears.

"You're still smiling," he scoffed. "I'm not surprised. I guess you won't have any friends now, huh? Maybe then you'll feel what I'm feeling."

"You..." she didn't let her smile disappear. "Heh...it's alright...I'll make a new one...we can settle things, Blake, alright-"

"No, we can't settle things! Don't talk to me!" he stomped upstairs angrily. Brooke followed.

"Hey, calm down," Kenny said. Blake didn't say a word.

"Blake, don't cry. I'm sorry I embarrassed you! I didn't mean-"

He punched her hard in the stomach.

"You can never take it back. Not just today. Everything. Mom, Dad, all of those days watching you not even try to stay alive. It was like you didn't care. I didn't want to watch you die, but you didn't give a damn."

"M-my entire life, you've tried to shield me from the world!" she cried. "I just want to live! Even if it means I'm going to die sometimes!"

"G-God I hate you so much!" he lunged toward her, and she pushed away, and both were just pushing against each other.

"But Blake, I don't hate you!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Kenny tried to break them apart. "This is ridiculous!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Blake screamed.

"Blake, calm down!"

"You're ruining my life!"

Soon, he pinned her down and began to punch her with all of his might. Kenny grabbed him, kicked him to the ground, and knocked him unconscious with one punch. Brooke was curled up into a ball, sobbing. Kenny didn't know she was capable of crying. It wasn't like her.

"Does he do this a lot?"

"S-sometimes," she sniffled. She began to murmur to herself, "Don't feel the sad feelings..."

"Do you need anything?" he knelt down to her.

"No...don't worry about me. I still love my brother. He's just angry because our family's broken...and cursed."

"I don't think it's safe for you to be around him."

"But...he keeps me safe."

"You're safer without him, trust me," Kenny sighed. He placed his hand on her head. "I'll keep you safe, okay? Like...a guardian angel."

She looked up and gave him a faint smile.

"Thanks...Kenny."


	6. The Curse

**I apologize in advance for the length of this chapter...**

"Thanks for letting me sleep in your bed with you, Kenny," Brooke said, cuddling next to him with Patches in her arms, which caused Kenny major discomfort. Now that he thought of it, she had a lot of bruises, and quite a few stitches.

"I don't want you talking to Blake, okay?" he sighed.

"But...he's my brother," she looked down at her arm which sported quite a few big stitches. Over time, she had learned to suture them herself.

"I know, but I don't want you getting hurt."

"It's okay if I get hurt. I just want him to be happy. I deserve what I get. And if I die, I come back, so it's okay."

"If he's trying to protect you, why would he hurt you?"

"Well, he says a few bruises is better than dying because I'll learn my lesson. Maybe I should make him a wooden cat. He likes cats."

"Don't you see what's wrong? He's intentionally hurting you."

"It's okay. It could be worse. He still loves me. He's just angry. But everything's fine. I just need to stay positive."

"You know, Brooke, you don't have to hold on anymore. It's okay if you're not alright, because that's normal. What's not okay is pretending things are fine when they're not."

"But why be sad when you can be happy?"

"Because you'll never be genuinely happy if you don't let go of your past."

"My..."

He looked at her.

"What?"

"My father...made me kill him. It was me or him. It should have been me, Kenny. He says that since neither of us are mortal, I could take his curse away. He never came back after that. But I wish it had been me. Blake would be a lot happier, don't you think?"

"I'm not mortal either but-"

"You have it too?" she jumped up and shook him by the shoulders. "Kenny! You can take this curse away from me! You can make my brother happy! Oh, thank you! Thank you!"

"Absolutely not!" he snapped. "Brooke, you have a long life ahead of you. I would never take that from you."

"Please, Kenny! You're the only one who can help me. I'll do anything!"

"No, god damn it, I'm not gonna kill you!"

"...Sorry, I just...," she sat back down and sighed. "I just want to make people happy. But as long as I'm here, I always screw things up. Sometimes I'll die just to get away for a day or so. But then I come back and end up right back in my bed. I don't want to feel those feelings though. So I don't."

"It's okay to be upset. You can't hold it in. It's not good for you. If you do, one day, you'll just break."

She looked down and hid her face.

"B-but...i-if I'm upset, I'll be weak...Blake always says I-I'm a pussy and that I'm weak. S-so if I'm not happy..."

"It takes a stronger person to show their feelings than to hide them, Brooke."

With a defeated sigh, she turned to her side, the fluffy white dog in her arms.


End file.
